In automotive assembly, vehicle bodies are typically carried along a moving assembly line and travel through many (sometimes hundreds) of workstations where various parts are assembled together and/or onto the vehicle body. In robotic assembly stations, or human stations where fine dexterity is required, the vehicle body will typically be moved into the station, where it will then be halted and fixtured in place before any assembly may begin (i.e., a “stop” station). Within the stop station, robotic assembly may be used to, for example, fasten nuts onto bolts, marry a chassis with a frame, position and secure wheels onto rotor hubs, etc.
Stop stations require significant floor space to implement, due to deceleration/acceleration areas needed before/after the station. Additionally, large drive equipment is often required to accelerate and/or decelerate the heavy vehicle body.